Sleeping has always been a problem for both young and the old, but getting your kids to go to bed has long been one of the challenges that many parents face. Depending on the age of your kids, the reason why they stay awake is probably different. Therefore, it is important to stick to a particular strategy and see it through with them. After all, younger kids on an average require at least nine hours of sleep and even upwards of eleven hours if they are preschoolers. It’s important not to force a sleep pattern on your kids as some of them may not necessarily require that much of sleep, so keep track of their sleeping habits from young and aim to individualize it. Without further ado, here are 3 ways to get your kids to go to sleep early on a daily basis.
Create an Ideal Environment
Creating an ideal sleep environment isn’t just for adults alone – kids need them too! It is never easy to create an ideal environment so here are some key pointers you should take note of when trying to figure out the best way to go about doing this. The first is removing any forms of electronic entertainment from their sleep area and ensure that they abstain from it for an hour before bed. This is extremely important because light from electronic devices can interfere with one’s sleep cycle. On top of that, make sure your kids’ bedroom is as dark as possible when the lights are off to ensure that their sleep would not be disturbed. Finally, any activity before bedtime is advised to be low stress and quieter in nature to encourage sleep.
Remain Consistent on the Sleep Time and Meals
Consistency is key to everything in life and sleep timings and meal preparation before sleep makes a world of difference in getting your child to sleep. It is a good idea to plan a bedtime routine for your kid based on their daily schedules and ensure that it remains constant every day. This means that the sleep schedule should persist even during the weekends, even if it means sacrificing more play time. Performing routine activities such as a bedtime story or a bath can be a comforting routine to signal to your child that bedtime is coming. On top of a consistent sleep pattern, making sure that your meals are taken at the same time every day can prevent sleep from being delayed due to a full stomach. Avoid letting your child consume sugary food at night and you’ll minimize the event of a sugar rush and them staying way past their bedtime.
Teach them the Importance of Sleep
Finally, if all else fails, it would be beneficial to talk to them about the benefits of sleep and why they need it. They must have experienced a poor sleep cycle and the difficulty of staying awake during the day, so you can use that to your advantage. Let them understand that it is but a necessity and reiterate this to them ever so often.